Before and After
by Ronnie T.C
Summary: Before the pain, and after. Before the deaths and the cruelties and before all the crime and hurt and sadness. However if there is a before there must be an after. All you can do is wait for the after to come. That's what the Greasers are doing, by force.
1. The Morning

It was before everything bad happened. Before Johnny and Dally died. It was before Johnny and Ponyboy went into hiding and before Johnny killed that Soc. Before Johnny and Ponyboy even met Dally to go to a movie. It was before all of that, and before Johnny got jumped, and before Mr. and Mrs. Curtis died.

It was before all the bad stuff happened. When everything was still alright. When everyone was happy (as happy as they could be) and when everything was semi-peaceful.

XXX

"Hi, Mrs. Curtis." the girl they all knew so well said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hi, Valery, darling." the woman who was so much like a mother to her said, smiling. Her warm look filled Valery's heart, making her feel peaceful.

"Where's Darry?"

"Sleeping. He and the boys were up late last night."

"Doing what?"

"They were out at a movie. They had a lot of fun, they told us when they got home."

"And where's Mr. Curtis?" Valery never called their father by his name-Darrel-and instead addressed him formally. She rarely called Mrs. Curtis anything but that-Mrs. Curtis.

"He hasn't woken up yet either." Mrs. Curtis said. She smiled at Valery, who looked tired and worn out, "Long night at the hospital, Val?" Valery nodded and Mrs. Curtis put her hand on her shoulder, "Go lay down with Dally. I'll keep breakfast warm for you."

"No," Valery shook her head, "I should stay… Help you with breakfast and maybe tidy up a bit. The boys sure did make a mess coming home last night." Valery looked around at the scattered jackets and shoes and disorder around the kitchen.

Mrs. Curtis stopped her from doing anything further, "Valery," she gave her a stern glance, "Go lie down. Don't worry about it."

Valery knew better than to argue further with Darry's mother. She nodded, received a quick peck on the cheek and then she went off on the familiar path to Darry's room. She set the nurses hat she wore on top of his dresser. Valery undressed down to her bra and panties, then climbed into Darry's bed.

He was snoring softly, so she knew she wouldn't wake him up. However, even if he was in the deepest phase of sleep, he could always sense when Valery would come in. His arms would wrap around her waist and he would nuzzle his face into her neck. And she would fall right asleep in his arms.

And that was what had happened. Valery started dozing as soon as he began to cuddle her. She simply fell right asleep that morning, getting home from work like any other day and falling exhaustedly into bed with her love.

He woke up a few hours after she came in. Darry awoke facing Valery in bed. It wasn't a shock to see her there. It happened a lot after she worked a long overnight shift at the hospital.

He stayed in bed a few more minutes until he smelled bacon. He smelled bacon and he heard his brothers get up. He wasn't sure if they would bother to save any for him before they choked it all down. He didn't want to get up and leave Valery. But he got up begrudgingly, got dressed and gave Valery a light peck on the lips before leaving the room for the kitchen.

"Hey, Darry!" Sodapop greeted him immediately, "We thought you were never gonna get up!"

"Really, Dar, what the heck took you so long?" Pony asked.

Darry shrugged, "Just sleepin'. Keep it down, Val's still in there catching up on rest."

"When did Valery get here?" Soda asked.

Their mother answered for them, "Early this morning. Shortly after I got up, actually."

"Where're the boys?" Darry asked, sitting down.

"They'll be here soon enough." Mr. Curtis muttered.

"Anybody home?" a shout rang through the house.

"Speak of the devil…" Ponyboy muttered. A couple boys walked in, first Two-Bit then Steve and lastly Johnny, all looking as cool as ever.

"Morning, guys." Two-Bit greeted them then turned to the parents charmingly, "Mrs. Curtis, Mr. Curtis."

"How are you, Two-Bit?" Mrs. Curtis smiled at him warmly.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Curtis."

She turned to Johnny, "How are you, son?"

Johnny shrugged, "I'm good I guess. Better now that I'm here. Is Val here?"

"Val's sleeping off the night." Darry said.

"Did she work a double shift again?"

"Something like a triple. Haven't seen her since Thursday."

"Don't know why she's working so much." Johnny said, "She ain't got nothing to worry about."

Darry shrugged, "Well, there's putting herself through college… And you, and all…"

Johnny fell silent. Everyone knew he felt so guilty about tying up so much of his older sister's time. Valery Cade worried about Johnny so much. She still lived with her parents, but spent most of her time either at the hospital or there at the Curtis's.

She was only nineteen, two years out of high school. She has done two years of nursing school, paid for by her parents. Now she was able to work at the hospital as a nurse, but still had to go to school. Her parents had quit paying for it though, so Valery split each paycheck into threes-one part for college, one part for the future, so she could possibly get a house, and the last part for Johnny, so he could have a good future too.

She worked really hard to keep herself up, and even though Johnny insisted she didn't have to, Valery still sacrificed that part of her paycheck and put it aside for her baby brother.

Before anyone could really say anything else, Valery walked into the kitchen. She had put on a pair of Darry's pajamas. She usually had clothes here, but today was laundry day.

"Good morning, boys." she smiled at them and then to Johnny, "Hey, Johnny Cash."

He blushed whenever she called him that. It was a cute pet name she liked using for him, similar to her calling Ponyboy 'Stallion' or Sodapop 'Caffeine'. "What's goin' on, Val?" Johnny asked smoothly.

Valery grinned, "Not a lot. Y'all didn't eat all the bacon, did ya?"

"There's a few pieces left, Val." Mrs. Curtis said, "How much sleep did you get?"

"Depends what time it is."

"Quarter after ten." Ponyboy said.

Valery shrugged, "About three or four hours then."

Darry _tsked _her. "You should still be sleeping. How much sleep have you gotten in the past two days?"

Valery shook her head, "I dunno. Maybe an hour, adding together all my breaks."

"What'd you take, like a triple-shift?" Soda asked.

Valery shook her head, "We were short nurses so I worked from noon on Thursday to dawn today."

"That's forty-two hours, Valery." Darry said, "You really need to get some sleep."

Valery rolled her eyes, "Nah, I'll be fine."

Valery was really stubborn. She was a lot like her dad in that way. She looked exactly like Johnny. Both had black hair, but hers was long and sleek. Both of their eyes were very wide and black. Long eyelashes graced hers and brushed her very low cheekbones. She had cute-as-a-button qualities about her with rounded a heart-shaped face, and dimples-two on one cheek and one on the other, which made her look very childish. She was 'Cute, not pretty'. Her nose was crooked from a nasty blow from her father. It made her look really tuff.

Her attitude was totally different from Johnny's though. She was stubborn, firm and tough. She was very willful, and wouldn't give in to anyone, unless it was Mr. or Mrs. Curtis, or Johnny. She was also a joker, like Two-Bit, but not to that extent. She found humor in things, but at the same time she was really serious about the things she cared a lot about.

And she didn't really know how to be proper. She wasn't very ladylike. She was very into feminine rights and things like that. She believed in herself, and she definitely didn't act like Socy girls. She was a definite Greaser girl, all attitude too. She could be rude, and she could be uncouth. But at the same time she could be nice and kind to people that mattered. She was really emotional, and bipolar. That was it.

"I think she's some sorta vampire." Two-Bit said, "She never sleeps. Or maybe she's just one of those insomniacs."

Valery rolled her eyes, "Shoot, Two-Bit. Sometimes, I just wanna smack you in the face."

"You know you love me."She chuckled, "A other times I just wanna… I dunno… Kiss you or something." At that Darry tapped her lightly on the arm, and she laughed, "You're like a hyperactive puppy who doesn't know how to keep his mouth closed."

"The hyperactive puppy part is more like Sodapop." Steve noted.

"Yeah, it's more like me." he smiled, "Ma, can you pass me some chocolate cake?"

"You know I don't like you boys eating cake for breakfast." Mrs. Curtis frowned.

"C'mon, Ma! Just this once. While the whole gang's here, please?"

Valery piped up, "Speaking of the whole gang, where in hell is Dally?"

"He might come with Sylvia."

Valery smirked a little at Dally's girlfriend's name. No one really liked Sylvia because of how much she cheated on Dally when he was in the cooler. However, Sylvia and Valery got along somehow. They got along a little bit. They were friends, but strained ones. Valery was just grateful for another girl in the gang.

"Hey, a T-Bird just pulled up." Ponyboy said, looking out the window.

"T-Bird?" Darry asked.

"Must be Buck Merrill." Two-Bit said.

Valery made a sound in the back of her throat, "I hope it's not."

"No, it's Darlene."

Darlene Merrill was Buck's half-sister. She was younger than him, about Valery's age. They worked together as nurses and Darlene was in the same situation with paying for school. They were good friends and hung out a lot. Darlene was friends with all of them, and at the Curtis's house about as much as anyone else.

She looked exactly like Buck, with their long dirty blonde hair. She was also tall, sort of like a string bean. You could say she was lanky like Buck, but in truth she looked like she could be a supermodel with how tall and thin she was.

"She's comin' up." Soda said.

"Well 'course she is." Valery said, "What, did you think she was just gonna sit out there?"

When Darlene entered the house, she called out, "Anyone home?"

"We're in here, Darlene!" Darry said. Darlene walked in and immediately started talking to Valery.

"Val, there's this party tonight, why don't you come?" Darlene had spent a lot of her life with her mother, different from Buck's. They lived in New York City, therefore Darlene had this ridiculous New York accent. They had the same father, who Buck lived with until a few years ago, until Darlene came back and they broke away from their parents and got their own house together.

"Tonight? Well… I don't know what's going on tonight."

"C'mon, Val. It's gonna be fun. You dig?"

Valery shook her head, "I just don't know. Where is it?"

"Shepard's."

"Alright, well now you know I'm not going."

Darlene sighed, "Why not?"

"Something always goes wrong at one of the Shepard's parties. The fuzz always show up, and I ain't gonna get mixed up with no police officers. I can't get in no more trouble, Darlene. You know that."

Darlene rolled her eyes, "Fine then. But you said we'd go shopping today, so let's go."

"I gotta shower first. How about I just meet you at the DX?"

Darlene sighed, "What the hell am I supposed to do while you snooze around here for the next hour and a half?"

"It does not take me an hour and a half to get ready."

"Yeah." Two-Bit said, "Probably longer."

"Two-Bit, shut your trap before I go over there and slug you."

"Just hurry up and go get ready." Darlene smirked.

"Just meet me at the DX at noon, alright?"

Darlene huffed, "Alright, fine."

As Valery left to take a shower, Darry followed her. They walked into the bathroom together and Darry smiled at her. "You look pretty in my pajamas."

"Pretty? Not 'cute'? Not 'endearing'? Not 'sweet' or 'charming' or 'adorable'?"

"You're all of those all the time." he smirked at her as she unbuttoned the top. She grinned at him and the extra dimple on one of her cheeks really popped. Darry chuckled, "You're so cute when you do that."

Valery rolled her eyes and the pajama top slid down her arms to the floor, completely revealing her white satin bra. "There we go with the cutesy stuff."

Darry laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, and took her lips in a kiss. His fingers lightly tickled her sides, making her jump and yelp. Darry smirked and pulled her close to him, and her fingers tangled in his dark brown hair, and brushed his cowlick.

Two hard knocks sounded on the door, making them pull their heads away but stay close. "Val!" came Johnny's voice, "I forgot to tell you. Mom and Dad want you to come by and go through some of your stuff. Dunno what for, but they said it's either today or their throwing everything out."

"Ahh, shit." Valery silently cursed. Darry placed a small tap to her backside.

"Language." he scolded.

Valery rolled her eyes, "Alright, thanks Johnny." They heard Johnny leave and Valery placed her forehead on Darry's, "I have to get to my parents' before noon, before I meet Darlene at the DX."

"Okay." he said, leaning in for another kiss.

"If you don't leave now, I'll never be able to get ready."

Darry sighed and kissed her once more, "I'll go fold your dry clothes."

"Thanks."


	2. Talking With The Parents

**For the record, this takes place before the book's events. Long before. It takes place before Johnny even got jumped, and before Ponyboy's parents even die. I'd say this takes place around a year before the events in the book. And, since Soda's seventeenth birthday is a few weeks after the events in the book, and it's a year before the book, his birthday is coming up in this story. A couple chapters from now.**

After her shower, Valery had gone into Dally's room to find a basket of folded laundry. She put on a pair of black Capri pants, black stilettos and a white cotton top. She left with only word of goodbye and her purse, but Johnny was following her to her old Chevy in front of the house.

"I ain't gonna let you go alone, sis." he said.

Valery rolled her eyes, "I ain't gonna let you go in there with me, kid."

"Well, I'm gonna."

She shook her head, "Johnny, if they hit me, I'll slug them right back-once. But if they hit you, I will not restrain myself from beating the tar out of both of them."

Johnny smiled at her, "They wouldn't dare, not with you around."

She stared at him hardly before opening the passenger's side door for him, "Kid…" she muttered, "I swear to God…"

Johnny smiled and climbed in, then kissed her cheek once she got in too. "And the guys said not to drive too slow."

"Not my fault that I follow the law-You know, speed limits. Plus, Mrs. Curtis would yell at me if I got another ticket."

"You never get tickets for going too fast, you get them for going too slow."

"The car's engine doesn't go very high, you know."

"Soda and Steve always offer to fix this hunk o' junk up for you."

"Hey." she said sternly, "Don't be hating my car. The Bel Air doesn't need to be insulted."

They got to the house with a bit of bantering, but as they pulled into the driveway of the well-known, old house, they grew silent. "Alright." Johnny was the first to speak, "Let's go."

They got out and walked in through the unlocked side door. Their parents, Julia and Paul, were sitting on the couch. Paul was drinking a beer and it was only eleven in the morning. Julia, on the other hand, was sitting silently on the couch, only staring at her hands.

"Hey Ma, hey Pa." Valery said lazily. Her mother and father looked up at her, then to Johnny.

"Valery, Johnny." their mother said formally.

"Val, do you know why we asked you to be here?"

"Well technically, you didn't ask me. You asked Johnny to tell me, so…" Valery smirked then said, "No, Pa, I don't know."

"Well, we want you to get out."

"Excuse me?" Valery asked.

Julia sighed, "Valery, you're never here. That room is useless but to hold your crap. We want it out!"

"Either you pay rent or you have your shit out by the end of the week." Paul said.

"I have nowhere to put it. I don't have another home."

"Put it at the Curtis's. That's where you spend all your time."

"I can't just dump my stuff there, Ma!"

"I'm sure they won't mind."

Paul sighed, "We put boxes in your room. If you wanna start packing now, that'd be great."

"I don't wanna start packing now!" she shook her head.

Johnny piped up, "Val, it's alright. You can stay at the Curtis's. No one's gonna mind, they love you there."

"But I can't keep an eye on you."

"I'm barely here anyway." he said.

Valery frowned, "Alright, come help me, Johnnycakes."

Johnny nodded and followed his sister to her old room. It was painted a pretty robin's egg blue and had dark furniture. There wasn't a lot in there. Special memories-pictures-were all over the walls. Special trinkets were lined up on the dresser. Only a few of her clothes were left in the closet. Various items were left in the drawers of her desk and nightstand. The biggest thing was her books. There were tons of them on her bookshelf, all needing to be put in boxes one by one.

And then there were her records. She loved music, and had dozens of records. She didn't care about the genre, she loved all of it. She loved music so much, she learned how to play it. She only played the guitar and the piano, and she was a horrible singer, but she made up for it in good dancing skills. Whatever music was playing, she could really move. She used to take lessons at a dance studio since she was six years old. She had to stop when she graduated high school because he parents didn't have the money.

But she was a real music junkie. It calmed her and soothed her. She could go from furious to happy by the chorus of one song. Music and dancing made her glad, it made her cheerful. It relieved her of any issues she was thinking of and cleared her mind. It helped her in so many ways, but she didn't have a lot of time to simply relax and listen to music or dance anymore, what with her job and all.

"Alright, Johnny, just started on my closet. You don't need to fold my clothes, just stuff them in there." she said. He started and she began putting her books in a box. Soon, it was the time when they had to leave so Valery could get Johnny back to Pony's house and then meet Darlene at the DX. "Ma, Pa, I'll see you tomorrow. We gotta go now, but I'll be back."

She left without a word from them. She chatted with Johnny a bit in the car, then dropped him off and left for the DX. Johnny walked into the Curtis's house and flopped down next to Pony and Two-Bit on the couch. Sodapop and Steve were at work and Darry was in the armchair. The Curtis parents were both at work as well, since they worked during the day.

"What did your parents want from your sister?" Darry asked. It was strange how people did that. Whenever anybody referred to Valery around Johnny, they always said 'your sister' instead of her name. Only when they were talking with Johnny or to Johnny, or even if Johnny was around. 'How's your sister?' 'Johnny's sister was there.' 'Johnnycakes, say 'hi' you your sister for me.' All the time.

"They want her to move out." Johnny said.

"So is she gonna be completely hacked off when she gets back?" Ponyboy asked. Johnny just shrugged.

"She isn't gonna ask to stay here, that's for sure."

Darry nodded, "I'm gonna offer."

"She'll say no. She's gonna keep her stuff in her car or something."

"Someone's gonna swipe it if she does that."

"You know my sister, always doing risky stuff. She doesn't believe in evil."

"She believes in it alright." Two-Bit said, "She just thinks she's somehow invincible to it."

Darry chuckled, "So, Johnny, where did she say she was going shopping?"

Johnny shrugged, "She mighta' said something about the Hills Mall. I ain't sure about it though."

Darry frowned, "The Hills Mall is on the West Side."

"It's also the only shopping mall in Tulsa." Ponyboy pointed out. "You worried about the Socs getting to her?"

Darry only nodded, and Two-Bit said, "She can handle herself."

Johnny agreed, "She carries a switchblade with her, remember?"

"I thought it was a heater." Ponyboy said.

"She ain't carryin' no heaters with her. She ain't tough enough." Johnny rolled his eyes.

"No, she's tough enough." Two-Bit said, "She's just anti-gun and all that. She'd never carry a heater. But she's got her switchblade, and her fist. She throws a good few punches."

"Plus, no one would dare to jump her, Darry. She's a girl. And it's the mall. Public." Pony said, using common sense.

Darry nodded, "You're right… Now that I see how you guys think of her… Shoot, my girl's tough!"

XXX

Valery got back around five. Both Curtis parents were still at work, since Mrs. Curtis worked as a secretary until six in the evening and Mr. Curtis worked at a hardware store until eight. Valery had dropped off Darlene at her and Buck's, then drove home.

She walked up the path to the house and saw Johnny and Ponyboy sitting on the front step, sharing a cigarette. "Hi, boys." she greeted them, smiling. She had many bags in her hand, but that didn't stop her from snatching the cigarette out of her brother's fingers as she passed by them. "Thanks, boys." she smirked, taking a deep drag and walking into the house. There was no rule of not smoking in the house, since the Curtis parents smoked too, if scarcely. Everyone smoked though, and started at a young age, as Pony had once pointed out to Valery. It was true. She had started at the tender age of ten.

"Smoking is bad for you." Darry told her as she came in, blowing a plume of smoke in the air. He was playing cards with Sodapop and Steve, who were home from work, and Two-Bit.

"Well hello to you too." she said, rolling her eyes.

"How was shopping?" he asked.

Valery shrugged, "Fine."

"How much of this did you steal?" Two-bit asked. He was smirking, knowing of her slight kleptomaniac ways.

Valery's eyes widened and she sat next to him. She said loudly, "I did not steal any of this… It paid for it all with real American dollars." Then she whispered harshly to Two-Bit, "Shoot, boy, are you trying to get me in trouble with Darry? You don't say these things around him!"

He nodded, "Sorry."

She scoffed, "You're never sorry for anything."

"So how much of it did you steal?"

"A lot…" she said guiltily.

"The conscience clears itself eventually." he chuckled and picked up another card from the deck. "You didn't steal nothin' expensive, did ya?"

She shrugged and Darry said, "You didn't run into trouble at the mall, did you?"

She shook her head and grinned widely, "I mean, a homeless guy held a heater to our heads, but I fought him off."

Darry rolled his eyes and beckoned her over, "I'm glad you're all right."

"I'm mighty glad I am too." she said, lazily walking over. She sat down and Darry slung his arm around her shoulders. "Soda, what do you want for your birthday?"

"Nothing." he said simply.

"Soda, what do you want for your birthday?" Valery asked again. This happened every year.

"Nothing." Soda answered sternly.

"Sodapop Curtis. What do you want… for your birthday?" she said slowly.

"Valery Cade. I want nothing for my birthday." he answered in the same fashion.

"Sodapop. Curtis. What. The. Hell. Do. You. Want?" she asked, rubbing her temples in frustration.

"Val, honestly, I don't want anything."

"Well you know what, I'm giving you something!"

"I won't accept it."

"And then I'll slug you."

"On my birthday?" Soda asked. Valery nodded. He sighed, "You need anger management."

"I'll make you a cake too. Red velvet."

"How come red velvet cake tastes so much like chocolate cake?" Two-Bit wondered.

"That's a good question Two-Bit." Steve said sarcastically.

"It sure is a mystery." Valery rolled her eyes.


	3. Day Alone

**Guys, I rated this M, it's gonna be M.**

**All rights of the outsiders belong to S.E. Hinton. I own merely a few select characters, such as Valery and Darlene, but that's it.**

"Why do you do that?" Valery heard Darry ask one morning. Valery was sitting on the Curtis's couch. Everyone was gone-the parents were at work. Soda, Steve, Ponyboy, Johnny and Two-Bit were at school. Darry had the day off from his college courses and from his part-time construction job, and Valery wasn't working again until Monday, so they decided to spend the day together. It was only just after breakfast, and everyone had left in such a rush it left Darry and Valery to just mull around and be lazy until they figured out what exactly they were gonna do. That day.

"Do what?" she asked absently as her eyes ventured down the paper.

"You know what." he said.

She sighed, sipped her cup of coffee and said, "Pretend I don't."

Darry rolled his eyes, "Why do you do _that_? Read obituaries, is what I mean."

She shrugged, "Why not?"

"Because it's depressing."

Valery shrugged, "No one ever reads obituaries for the right reason. What does it matter if I do it just for the sake of it? Just so the lonely people who died, the ones who don't have anyone, can have someone feeling sorry and sad that they died. Everyone needs someone, and if people who don't have anyone… If they die, at least they can look down from Heaven and smile that I'm being sad over their deaths."

Darry smiled weakly at her, "I never thought of it that way."

"No one ever thinks of anything the way I think of stuff."

He grinned at her, "Valery Mariah Cade, you may be the most original, carefree, adorable woman I've ever met."

She looked up and grinned back at him, "Darrel Shayne Curtis Jr." she addressed him, "You may be the most hard-working, stubborn, self-preserving man I've ever met." she said. He frowned, and she took his hand, "And I love you so much, you know that?"

He smiled and kissed her knuckles affectionately, "I love you, too."

Valery pulled her hand away but Darry pulled all of her back to him just as quick. The newspaper dropped onto the floor as Darry slid his girlfriend onto his lap. He placed several light kisses on her lips before she captured his with her own, deepening the long-awaited kiss.

She sighed in pleasure, but knew she had to pull away. "So what are we gonna do today?" she asked, still sitting on Darry's lap, her face buried in his neck.

He shrugged, "We could go to the Dingo. Get some lunch." She nodded and smiled at how simple life was becoming. But then, "Can I ask you about something?"

She shrugged and looked up at him, "Sure."

He looked her in the eyes and said, "What did your parents want that one day."

She knew exactly what he was talking about. She sighed and climbed off of his lap. She busied herself with picking up papers and bringing their breakfast dishes to the sink, and scrubbing furiously. Darry followed her in though, intent on getting the right answer out of her since he already knew. No way she was lying to him about this.

He looked at her expectantly and leaned against the counter. She shrugged, "It was nothing."

"It ain't seeming like nothing."

"Well, Darry, it is nothing."

"What happened?" he prodded, his voice much gentler than it usually was with anyone.

"Darry," she sighed, finishing washing the dishes, "If you ask me again, I'll slap you."

"You can tell me anything." he said sincerely. She didn't say anything at she dried her hands on a towel. "Val?" Darry asked. Valery growled and ran a hand through her course hair.

"You know, Darry, maybe I just don't really want to tell you!"

"Well, I'm your boyfriend, you can't keep secrets from me." Valery didn't reply, she just kept cleaning up. Darry sighed, frustrated, "Val, I will threaten you!"

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah? With what?"

Darry wasn't sure, so he said, "Valery, tell me now."

Valery looked down, and sighed, "Alright… Alright, fine. My parents kicked me out." she told him. Darry opened his mouth to tell her to stay there, at the Curtis's house, but she knew what he was going to say and cut him off, "But I have all my junk in a closet at Darlene's place. So yeah."

"Val, move here." he insisted, "You live here pretty much all the time anyways. What's wrong with having your stuff here too?"

"It's…" she shrugged.

"What? Too much of a commitment? Valery, we've been dating for three years."

"No, not commitment… Just… I don't wanna be a burden on you guys."

"You won't be, Val. I swear. My parents love you, you know that."

"I know, but still. I can't just intrude."

"I want you to intrude, Val." Darry smiled and took her hand, "Valery, please move in with me, please move in here."

She smiled weakly, "Is there enough room?"

He nodded, "Of course there is."

Valery grinned at him and kissed his cheek, "Alright… I'll get my stuff from Darlene's later."

"We could do it today."

"You'd be up to it?"

Darry nodded, "Of course."

"Alright. Let me go shower and change." Valery had woken up after everyone else that morning, and when she did wake up everyone but Darry was gone, so she didn't feel the need to put on pajama pants under the oversized t-shirt of Darry's she wore.

Darry followed her into the bathroom and smiled at her as she began to unbutton the shirt, putting on a show for him. He licked his lips, which she saw, and she said, "You know, I'm not intentionally trying to put on a show for you."

He smiled, "Intentional or not, it's a show."

Valery rolled her eyes and the shirt slid to the floor, leaving her in only a pair of black panties. Darry smiled and went toward her. He had pulled off his shirt and now he was kissing Valery lightly on the lips. His lips left hers and went down to her neck, and he made her tremble in his arms, which were wrapped around her waist securely. His fingers started drawing small shapes on the bare skin of her side.

Valery moaned breathlessly into his hair as he nipped at the flesh of her neck. Darry's lips went to her ear and he breathed, "Shoot, Val… You're so beautiful…"

She couldn't say anything because his fingers were massaging her lower back. It was interesting to her how even after so many years of being with Darry, he could still make her speechless. He could still send shivers down her spine and make her have butterflies. He could still shoot sparks through her and make fireworks go off. He still made her fall in love with him over and over again.

His thumbs hooked on the waistband of her underwear, and once he pulled them off of her, Darry picked her up swiftly. He set her on to counter of the bathroom, and admired her naked form with great taste.

Valery smiled at him. Her legs were spread sexily and her chest was heaving up and down. It was all her could do for Darry to not rip his pants off and take her there. Instead, he slowly unzipped his jeans and slid out of them, leaving him in his tented boxers.

Valery took his hand and pulled her to him. He settled between her legs and cupped her face with both of his hands. His kissed her warmly and passionately. He barely noticed as she pulled down his boxers and discarded them.

"Darry," Valery whispered, breaking the kiss and looking into his eyes. Darry smiled and guided himself into her. He entered slowly but surely. Valery moaned his name out as he filled her up and stretched her. Darry smiled and nuzzled his face into her neck. He kissed and suckled on her skin as he had her wrap her legs around his waist tightly and her arms around his neck. She buried her hands in his dark brown hair.

His hands ventured to her neglected breasts. He had barely touched them once, and it was his time now. He cupped one with one hand and tweaked her nipple on the other one. Valery moaned at his sensations and her began to pump his hips. He made her dizzy with pleasure by doing these things. Paying attention to her breasts at the same time as thrusting in and out of her.

"Valery," he groaned against her skin, "Val, I…"

"I love you, Darry." she whispered breathlessly.

"I love you too." he moaned as her walls contracted against him. He brought his hand down to rub her nub, and she moaned loudly. It was a good thing no one was home or everyone would be able to hear them.

They finished soon and got into the shower together. It was a romantic shower with no sex, but a lot of kissing. They waked into Darry's bedroom wrapped in towels and they got dressed and ready for the day.

"You know," Valery said as they walked out the door to head to the Merrill's, "Sex in that bathroom is becoming a lot more common lately."

Darry smiled and nodded. "I like it."

Valery laughed as they walked to his truck. "I do, too."

"I would stay in bed with you all day if we could do that."

She smiled at him and climbed into the passenger's seat, "That can be arranged after we get all my stuff."

His eyes lit up, "Really?" She nodded. "then what are we waiting for?" he asked, flouring the engine and taking off, speeding down the road.

**I wanted to show a lotta love in this chapter. Do you think I succeeded?**


End file.
